Gyroplane



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F15 shaft in section or broken away to show the Patented .luly 30 1929.

UNITED sTArEs LAWRENCE E. ROBBINS, F ELLSWORTH,

GYROPLANE.

Application mea october a,

The present invention relates to aeroplanes and particularly to planes of this character having helicopter features. An object of the invention is to improve mechanism of planes of this type.

Further objects are to provide novel and veffective means for adjusting the propeller blades'.

A further object is to provide for. both simultaneous and selective adjustment of the j blades of two lpropellers through the same. actuating medium.

A. further object is to provide a construe! tion whereby the helicopter propellers may l5 be used for raising the-machine vertically --and may thenbe converted into resistance planes for flying horizontally, and whereby the bouyaney of the machine may be increased.

@ther objects are effectiveness in operation, simplicity and cheapness of `constructionand operation.

A further object is to strengthen certain of the operating parts without lowering the eiliciency thereof.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following,description and will be set forth in the appended claims, and I do not wish to be limited in the scope of my inventionfexcept as I shall be limited by said claims.

ln the drawings: j Figure 1 is a side elevation of an aeroplane embodying the principles of my invention. Figure 2 is a front view thereof on a reduced scale compared with Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a planrview of the same on the same scale as Figure 2. p

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view showing i details of construction at the forward end 4ofthe machine, with parts'of the body brel@ en away, on the line 4 4 of Figure 3, showlng the relationv of parts interiorly of the body and parts of the various sleeves on the drive relation of the parts. This View is enlarged over Figure 1. Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5of Figure 4 and on the samescale as Figure 4. Figure 6 is a sectionon the line 6-6 of Figure 4 on an enlarged scale over Figure 4, Figures 5 and 6 showing the mechanism `for angulary adjusting -the propeller blades at the forward `end of the machine.

Figure 7 is afdetail section on the line 7-7 of Figure 5 and on. anenlarged scalecom-l on a scale 1927. serial No. 223,798.

pared with Figure 5, showing the connection of brace members with the propeller blade.

.Flgure -8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Frgure 2 on an enlarged scale compared therew1t h and showing the construction of the helicopter propeller shaftsand the operating connections of the blades to the shaft and of 'the shaft to operating and driving mechanism.

Figure 9 is a section on the line 9--9 of Figure 8 through the propeller blades o n the same scale as Figure 8.

.Figure 10 is a section on the line 10l0 of Figure 8, showing parts of the blade adjust- 1n mechanism.

igure 11 is a detail on anenlarged scale, showing other of the blade` adjusting mechanism.

Figure '12 shows a fragment of the aeroplane body, on an enlarged scale overFigure l, with adjusting and drive mechanism shown in dotted lines.

Figure 13 is a section on the line 13-13 of FigurelQ, showing the mechanism in a view at ligbt angles to Figure l2 and on the same sca e.

Figure 14 is a detail section on the line 14--14 of Figure 13, showing certain adjusting levers and adjustment mechanism on an enlarged scale compared with Figure 13.

Figure 15 is a section on the line 15-15 of Figure 13, showing drive connections for the helicopter blades.

. Referring to the drawings in detail by reference numerals, the same numerals designating the same parts in all views of the draW- ings, 10 designates the body or fuselage of theaeroplane, having the usual rudder 11 at- .the rear end, wheels 12 for supporting the body on the ground, and a skid 13 cooperating with the wheels.

The present machine is designed to be lifted vertically ofr' the ground and when a proper level has been reached to convertthe heliycopter lifting propeller blades into planes afl'ording'resistance to the, air and providing buoyancy for the machine. .At the forward end of the machine is a propeller effective for causing horizontal travel` of the machine.

The helicopters, of which 4there are two in number, ar designated generally by the n umeral `14 and the propeller for horizontal travelis designated generally by the numeral 15. Thepropeller -15 and the helicopter propellers 14 are driven by an engine 16, the pro- -peller 1.5 through shaft 17 supported in a bearing sleeve' 17 having three bracket arms 17 b formed integral therewith'and connected' lage and being in driving connection through gears 22 and 23,respectively on the shafts 18 and on a hollow vertical shaft 24 to which the blades are attached for rotation. there- With through the medium of hubs 25. secured to the shaft by pins 26. The gears 19, 20 and 21 and the gears 22 and 23 are surrounded by casings 27 and 28 respectively, said, casings being connected by tubular, members 29 and 30 in the nature of casings, which afford protection for vthe shafts 18. The hollow shafts 24 are likewise protected by tubular members 31 also connected to the casings 27 and 28. The tubular'member 31 is in the nature of a j shaft and is provided with bearings 32 and` 33 at its opposite ends for the hollow shaft.

24. The tubes 29 and 30 are also provided with bearings 34 at their opposite ends, the bearings at one end only` being shown. A similar bearing is'provided in the tubular members 35 and 36 for the drive shaft 37 connected in driven relation with the engine. The upper end of the tube 31: serves as a support for the hubs 25 rot-atably mounted thereon, the tubular shafts 31 extending into a snugly fitting ucountersunk portion '38 of the bore 39 extendin through the hub.

Exten 'ng longitudinally through the bore of the shaft 24 is an adjusting rod 40 having a head 41 at its upper end from which project a pair of arms .42 extending rearwardly and having portions 43 thereoflying in parallelism with the tubular casing 31, said portions being substantially square in cross section and provided on onesurface with ratchet teeth 44 constituting ratchet bars which are in cooperative connection with the gears 45 secured to threaded pins 46 rotatably mounted in suitable brackets 47 secured to a support 48 extending laterally from the tubular shaft 31. The threaded portions of the pins 46 are in connection with..

the threaded apertures of lugs 49 rotatably mounted on diametrically opposite por'- tions of an annular member 50 which is inv turn rotatably mounted on the hubs 25 below the propeller blades 51 of the helicopters.

- 4 r1 he members 50 are provided at their lower ends with flanges 52 and 53, the former resting on a flanged annulus 54 secured by pins 55 to the hub, with the an e 56 thereof affording a bearing surface or the flange 52 of the memberl 50. The upper flange 53 is provided with a mutilated crown gear 57 providing spaced groups of teeth 58, one

group for each propeller blade, of which inA the present showmgfthere are four in number. The propeller blades 51 are .mounted for angular adjustment onI the hubs 25 by means Y of rods 59 detachably secured to the hubs by a threaded connection 60. The inner ends of the blades are provided with sleeves 61 from which project sectors of gears 62, the teeth of which are adapted toV cooperate with the teeth 58 of the crowngear herein de scribed. Through this mechanism it will i appear that when the shaft- 40 is actuated vertically, the blades 51 will be given a turning movement through the ratchet bars 44, the pins 46 and the members 50. The means for operating the shaft 40 from the drivers seat in tie aeroplane body will be presentlyl descri ed.

. Brace members 63 are secured to the hubs by arms 64 and 65 and have pivotal connection with .the propeller blades at 66 to provide for the turning movement of the blades. The slots 674 in the blades in which tached thereto`and'to the shaft casings 29,`

and 30 two-other truss rodsy are provided, one extending forward and one rearward and connected to the bottom of the fuselage. The shafts 31 may be further braced by stays 70 extending therefrom and connected to the casing'29. The casing 29 for the gears may be provided with a removable cover 71 in order to provide access to the said gears.

Secured to the casing 28 by a bracket 72 is a vertically extending rod 73 having a sleeve 74 slidably mounted thereon, said sleeve being provided with a projecting arm 7 5 having a yoke 7 6 at its outer end connected 1n the groove of a collar 77 secured on the lower end of the adjusting rod 40. In the ends of the rod 73 are journaled pulleys 78 and 79 respectively at the upper and lower ends of the rod, about which are passed cables 80 and 81 each having one end Athereof connected the drivers seat, where they are connected to an operating lever 84, at 86 and 87, on opposite sides of its pivot 85 which is in the nature of a screw bolt by which the lever 84 is attached to the dilferential casing 27. Through this lever and the connection thereof to the rod 40 just described, the helicopter blades may be simultaneously given an angular adjustment relative to the hubs on which they are mounted, in this manner presenting the blades at various angles to the atmosphere. By this mechanism, the blades may be ad- A Lezama lthe movement of the lever from its central position in whichthe blades are extended horizontallyr to points on ythe dial 88 having spaced apertures 89 therein to cooperate with the detent 90 on the end of a holding lever 91 mounted on the lever 81. Provision is also made in ,connection with the adjustment mechanism herein described for adjusting the propeller blades simultaneously in the same direction, the means by whichjthis is accomplished constituting slidable blocks 92 mounted in suitable slideways 93 secured in- 'teriorly tothe body 10 and extending vertically relative to the bottom thereof. The blocks' 92 are provided with spaced pulleys 94: and 95 about which the eabl'es`80 and 81 are respectively trained, the cables passing about pulleys 96 and 97 and pulleys 98 and 99 .on cach side of the sliding block and secured to the slideway centrally thereof and intermediate of the position ofthe pulleys 94 and 95 at all times. The sliding blocks are manipulated through the hand lever 100 secured to the shaft 101, which is journaled at 105 to the side walls of the fuselage, and through arm 102 secured to said shaft, and through a bell crank 103 connected with the arm 102 of a link 104. `By means of the lever 101 which operates the blocks at both sides ofthe casing simultaneously in the same direction, it will be seen that the upper or lower cables 80 or 81 may be given more oriless tension, or more or less slack at the will ofthe operator, and the propeller blades of the helicopters may thereby be adjusted simultaneously in the same direction. Y

The propeller 15 at the front of the machine comprises a hub 106 and propeller blades 107, as shown two in number, arranged for angular adjust-ment on the hub in a manner similar to that described in connection with the hellcopter'propellers. Theblades are secured to the hub 106 by means of rods.' 108A threaded into the hub' and having their opposite ends supported by brackets 109 similar to the brackets 63 on the helicopter blades, the rods 108 having pivotal connection with the brackets 109 through eyes 110 with which they.v are threadedly connected, the eyes 110 being held 1n place by the rods 108V and between spaced membersV 111. VThe portions 110a of the brackets 109 are formed so as to be detachable therefrom for convenience of assembly as shown at 1101. `A similar construction is provided in connection with the helicopter blade braces tltat 64a. The adjustment of the blades is eli'ecte-d through a sector of gear teeth 112 mounted on each propeller blade and articulating with a similar sector 113 secured to the flange 114 of a collar 115, the other end of said'collar carrying a similar flange 116 on 4which are rotatably mounted lugs 117 at diametrically opposite points, the lugs being provided with threaded apertures 118 to receivc the threaded pins 119 similar to the pins 16fhereinbefore described in connection with the helicopter adjustment. Said pins are rotatably mounted on a supporting flange 120 of the collar 121 which has a sleeve 121a integral therewith and rotatably mounted'on the bearing sleeve 17a of the shaft 17. The.

threaded pins are journaled in bearings 122 secured to the supporting flange in the same manner as the mounting of the pins 46, the pins being rotated through a gear and ratchet har connection in the saine manner asin connection with the helicopter, the ratchet bars being shown at 123 and the gears at 124. The ratchet bars are secured to the flange 125 of the collar 126 mounted on the sleeve 121a and having a loose sliding connection therewith, and said ratchet bars are adapted to be moved longitudinally of the shaft 17 by means of the rod- 127 having a yoke 128 connected with the collar 126 and riding in the groove 129 formed .ther-ein, the opposite end ofthe rod 127 lbeing connected through a link 127 with a hand 17 and 130, the gears not being visible in the drawings.l I

The operation of the mechanism ofthe aeroplane is as follows: When it is desired to make a flight with my machine the engine is started, which causes the helicopter and propeller 15 to operate simultaneously, both being in flat position until a sufficient high rate of speed is developed. The blades of the propeller 15 are at first turned to the flat position by manipulation of the rod 127, while the helicopter blades are set through the lever at an angle to produce a vertical draught on the machine, whereupon the machine Will bel caused to rise and the blades are maintained at this angle until the lproper height has been reached. Then the propeller blades are tilted by manipulation of the rod 127, causing the desired horizontal draught. Then the angle on the helicopter blades is released until the aeroplane will travel on a level course. The blades ofthe helicopters will act as the planes of anordinary aeroplane. affording resistance against the air and giving the aeroplane sufficient buoyancy to remain aloft. The helicopter blades will continue to revolve and in their forward movement will increase the air resistance by their movement thereagainst. In this manner a smaller resistance will be necessary to keep the aeroplane aloft. In turning movements and when it is desired to bank the aeroplane and for the purpose of keeping the aeroplane equilateral the position of the helicopter blades ma y be adjusted separately therefor through the lever S4, but when Y it is desired to use them for helicopter purt ment on' the rack 100EL through the pawl 100b nally of said supporting as shown in Fiffurc 12.

When it is desired to make a landing it is merely necessary to reverse the angle of the blades on the propeller 15, stopping the aeroplane over the place upon which it is desired to land, then turning the propeller blades to a l flat position and releasing the angle of the blades on the helicopters, so that thcaero plane may be allowed to settle gradually to the ground, requiring a very small space for a landing area. The plane is provided with a high skid 13 in order that it may rest in a position on the ground so that the helicopter blades will be in a horizontal position.

Having described my invention, what I` claim is:

1, In an aeroplane, a pair of helicopter propellers mounted thereon, shafts for supporting the helicopter propellers, a shaft concentric therewith for rotating the propeller bla-des, an adjusting rod movable longitudishaft, ratchet bars secured to said adjusting rod, a hub on the supporting shaft, propeller blades rotatably mounted on said hub, a collar having a gear connection with said propeller blades and rotatable on said hub, means actuated by said ratchet bars for rotating said collar, and flexible means connected to said adjusting rod for operating the same from the-,drivers seat of the aeroplane. l

An aeroplane having a body, vertical tubular supporting members secured thereto on opposite sides thereof, propellers mounted on said tubular members and comprising hubs having propeller blades mounted thereon and angularly adjustable relative thereto, said hubs being rotatably connected with said tubular members, a tubular shaft secured to said hubs and in driven connection with the power ofthe aeroplane means on'said hubs for adjusting said blades relative to the hubs, said adjusting means comprising a collar rotatably mounted on the hubs yand havin gear connection with said blades'f'threade pins mounted on said hubs and threadedly connected with said collar for rotating the same,

means for adjusting said propeller blades including pairs of flexible members, one of each pair of which operates the blades in one direction and the other of eachair'in the, 0 posite direction, vertically sli able blocks having pulleys at their opposite ends, vslideways for said blocks, pairs of ulleys on said slidewaj's adjacent said blocis on oppositesides thereof, one of each of said'pairs of flexible connections being trained under one of thek pulleys of each pair and over the upper pulley on said block, and the other of said flexible pairs being trained over o ne ofthe pulleys of 1 l said pairs and under the pulley on the lower so end of said block, a lever pivoted intermediate of its ends centrall of the aeroplane, the ends of said pairs of exible means being secured to said lever at equal distances on either sideof the pivotal point. and means for simultaneously shifting said blocks.

4. ln an aeroplane, a body, Propellers, means for drlving sald propellers and carried by said body, said propellers each including a hub with blades mounted thereon for angular adjustment relative to said hub, brackets secured to said hub for supporting said blades,

rods threaded to the hub and extending into said blades, spaced members in said blades to receive the rods therethrough, eyed members secured to said brackets and received between the spaced members to receive the rods in the eyes thereof for pivotalx connection therewith,

means r adjusting the blades of one propeller re ative to its Ahub and means for selectively and simultaneously adjusting the angle of the blades of the remaining propellers with respect to their hubs through a single means.

' Intestimony whereof I ailix my signature.

LAWRENCE E; noBBINs( 

